Sunday, March 14, 2010

Loremo is showing off its ultra-low-resistance car

150 MPG Non-Hybrid May Be Reality in 2010

*Standard We’ll Believe it When We See It Disclaimer*

German car company Loremo is showing off its ultra-low-resistance car, simply called the Loremo, which it says can get between 130 and 150 mpg with a simple two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and aerodynamic body. Sounds unrealistic, right? To us too, but supposedly the Loremo is set to go into production in 2009 for sale in Europe at a low cost of $15,000 Euros, or roughly $22,000.

There are plans to then bring the model to the U.S., but as a $30,000 three-cylinder model for better acceleration – 0-60 in 10 seconds. There’s no word on how that will impact the mileage, though. Besides the small, efficient engine, the Loremo – short for low-resistance-mobile – and has minimal drag, even down to its wheels, all to increase efficiency.

The design is a bit odd, with two normal front seats and two rear seats that face backward. You get into each row not via doors, but from front and rear hatches. The front hatch includes the dashboard and windshield, which will then swing back into place when you sit down. There’s no mention why doors were abandoned, but fewer moving parts could reduce weight. We’d think a simple cargo hatch would be more useful than two rear seats and reduce weight even more.

The idea that a high-efficiency car could cost so little seems crazy for some reason, and we’ll have to see if the Loremo ever delivers on its extreme promise. We’d guess it wouldn’t have a hard time selling.